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[The drop]( TAUSHA SANDERS MADE SPACE FOR LADY SNEAKERHEADS Business-savvy sneakerhead Tausha Sanders saw a void for women like herself as an opportunity to build a thriving new community. The co-founder of Her Grails isnât responsible for womenâs passion for sneakers, but sheâs the reason women in Houston donât have far to look for space to bond over kicks. Nebraska Raised, Houston Proud Julian Michael Caldwell in New York [@jswisshere]( These days [Tausha Sanders]( is Houston to the core, but she was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska â a city thatâs far from being considered influential in sneaker culture and fashion in general. Yet thatâs where she began to develop her affinity for streetwear and, eventually, sneakers. I rock what kicks I want to rock, and I think Nebraska taught me that. Iâm going to wear what I like, and Iâm going to be prideful about it. - Tausha Sanders Sanders reminisces about how her hometownâs most popular companies for footwear were K-Swiss, Phat Farm and Tommy Hilfiger. She admits thatâs a much different upbringing from many of her fellow sneakerheads, and she remains proud of that difference. âIâm humble because of Nebraska, Iâm real because of Nebraska,â says Sanders, who studied fashion marketing at The Art Institutes International in Kansas City. âI rock what kicks I want to rock, and I think Nebraska taught me that. Iâm going to wear what I like, and Iâm going to be prideful about it.â Growing up, Sanders chose to wear Nike basketball sneakers on the court, and Adidas and K-Swiss walking the school halls. She points to the true beginning of her love for sneakers as the moment when she bought a pair of Nike SB Dunks from a skate shop around the time she graduated from high school. That makes Sanders a late bloomer for someone who now says, âI wake up and breathe sneakers.â In the summer of 2015, Sanders made the fateful move to Houston for a new role as social media manager with [Sneaker Summit](, which puts on sneaker community events where fans gather to discuss, display, sell and trade shoes. Sanders found kinship in a city where she sees similarities with her Nebraska hometown. âI feel like Houston is a big city, but still has a small-town feel. Houston is often overlooked when it comes to the sneaker scene. Sometimes we get clumped in with Chicago or New Orleans.â
Creating Space In 2016, Sanders was given the opportunity to help launch the Sneaker Summit Storefront in Houston. That experience pushed her even further toward the front line of dealing directly with sneakerheads and curating a physical space for them. Not only was it eye-opening to learn firsthand the process of building something from the ground up in the sneaker industry, but it also showed her how the community failed to cater to [the women who were loyal to the culture](. âI would go to these sneaker shows and thereâs nothing for us,â says Sanders, who launched the women-focused [SneakHer Summit]( with Wendy Franklin in 2018. âIt was more of a side gig to help with the females who love kicks here. So to see it come up to five years in February, itâs been great.â Iâm surrounded by women who get it, who support us, who understand us, who really want to see us win. Weâre not gatekeepers, we want everyone in there. We want all the women in there. We want to turn every woman into a sneakerhead. - Tausha Sanders In 2020, SneakHer Summit rebranded as [Her Grails](, with âgrailsâ referring to a nickname sneakerheads use for their most coveted pairs of sneakers â either ones in their collection or ones they yearn to get their hands on. A majority of [Her Grails events]( are in Houston and have women-only invitation lists. Their only regular coed events are anniversary events in February and Graceful Laces, an annual fall charity event that raises money to provide sneakers and socks for children in the Houston area. Her Grails partnered with the Houston Rockets during this past Black History Month for a pregame celebration inside the Toyota Center, as well as an Air Jordan-sponsored suite where 15 women who love their kicks could enjoy the game together. âWe curate and create an experience where women can have fun, feel comfortable, talk kicks, have some real good girl time, dance, and it just be a blast. And thatâs an amazing feeling.â Sanders says itâs also not unusual for Her Grails to go beyond shoes and provide makeup and manicures during their events. âIâm surrounded by women who get it, who support us, who understand us, who really want to see us win. Weâre not gatekeepers, we want everyone in there. We want all the women in there. We want to turn every woman into a sneakerhead.â
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More Than a Material Thing Sanders makes it clear that she wonât ever wait in long lines or stress over online raffles for sneakers. She does it the old-fashioned way and shops retail â but that doesnât mean she wonât find other ways to go the extra mile for her passion. She considers herself lucky to fit into womenâs, menâs and kidsâ sizes for sneakers, and even knows how her sizes vary by brand. âMy closet has like three, four different sizes,â she explains, noting that itâs a good position to be in because it not only lowers the chances a store wonât have a size that fits, but she also sometimes saves money buying kidsâ sneakers. I donât want people to ever think itâs a material thing. I love a good story behind the shoe. I love female-designed shoes. I love Black people designing shoes. - Tausha Sanders Sanders says there are many things outsiders donât understand about the people who would go through so much for a pair of shoes, and that itâs much deeper than just what people see on her feet. âI donât want people to ever think itâs a material thing. I love a good story behind the shoe. I love female-designed shoes. I love Black people designing shoes. People probably judge us and say weâre spending all of this money on shoes, but people collect for a lot of reasons. I really do enjoy the culture.â Sanders also takes pride in the fact that Her Grails has helped create business opportunities for writers, publishers and other female entrepreneurs in complementary roles within the Houston sneaker and streetwear communities. She points to that impact as a big reason why the Nebraska-born transplant and her adopted city support each other so passionately. âHouston is a very community-based, supportive city. So I think they want to embrace anybody whoâs helping their community, helping their city look cool. So I think they saw that and that I was doing it authentically.â Follow [@houseofsneakerfiends]( and [@taushaquan]( on Instagram, and be on the lookout for Tausha in episode 5 of Sneaker Fiends. New episodes of Sneaker Fiends drop each Thursday on [YouTube](. COMMUNITY CORNER What city thatâs not normally considered a fashion hot spot has a surprisingly vibrant sneaker scene? [SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS HERE]( EPISODE 3 NOW STREAMING! Featuring Genevieve Channelle & Keia Kodama [WATCH HERE]( [TV]( | [PODCASTS]( | [NEWS]( | [FESTIVALS]( OZY is a diverse, global and forward-looking media and entertainment company focused on âthe New and the Next.â OZY creates space for fresh perspectives, and offers new takes on everything from news and culture to technology, business, learning and entertainment. #OZYMedia, #TheDrop OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Read Online](